Georgia Drakakaki PhD

Georgia Drakakaki obtained her Ph.D. from the John Innes Center (JIC) in the UK and received her postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Natasha Raikhel at UC Riverside. She joined the Department of Plant Sciences in January 2010.

Her research focuses on endomembrane trafficking in plant cells, in particular how trafficking pathways control cell wall biosynthesis, polysaccharide deposition, and plant stress response. Dr. Drakakaki’s group employs multidisciplinary approaches: chemical genomics (the use of small molecules), organelle proteomics and glycomics, genetics and modeling to address research questions,

She mentors undergraduate, and graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers. She is a member of Plant Biology (PBGG) the Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (BMCDB), and the Energy (EGG) graduate groups. She served as a trainer in the NSF CREATE- REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) training grant (2010, 2011, 2012) and mentored CREATE IGERT Ph.D. students. She is a Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology trainer and member of the UCD Energy Institute.